Greet Africa when you return

I greet you Africa
I greet you from Cape to Cairo
I hug you with arms of my sister from Somalia
She implored me:
        Greet Africa when you return.

At Southern Theatre we met
On a gray Scandinavian evening
But the African sun still shone in her eyes
The effusive Nile flowed into our handshake
Connecting us in an embrace
Of what we share
Of what we are.

But I felt a fear tear into her voice
It wrapped her tongue when she spoke
        This place my sister
        Sucks something out of you
        So you are not you
        You are you
        But you are not you
        Just greet Africa when you return.

I greet you Africa
I greet you with her sacrifice of tears
I dare cleanse you of bloodstains that have denied her home
She implored me:
        Tell Africa
Her children abroad are roadside stones.

Link to the Italian translation

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *